Classroom Procedures and Routines
Procedures:
1. Hand Signals
-Students will use hand signals when they need the teacher’s help or attention. An “R” in sign language will be used for indicating needing to use the restroom, three fingers (similar to a “W” shape) will be used to indicate needing a drink of water, and a normal five finger hand in the air will indicate that the student needs help, has a question, or a comment to add to the discussion or topic.
2. Lunch Count
-After students have unloaded their backpacks, they will make their lunch count before putting their take home folder in the correct bin and taking a seat to start the day. In order to make their lunch choice, students will grab their individually laminated name tag and place it in one of four baskets. The first two baskets will have name tags displaying what the lunch options are for the day, while the other baskets will be for students who brought their lunch from home and absent students. This will also make it easier for the attendance taker to look at who did not make a lunch choice and who might be absent.
3. Pencil Sharpening
-Students will be given an individual number at the beginning of the year. There will be a container full of plastic toothbrush holders with each student’s individual number labeled on it. Inside of the toothbrush holders, students will have 4-5 extra pencils that will be sharpened. If a student does not have a pencil or a sharpened pencil to write with, they will use their hand signal to alert the teacher. When given permission, students will go to the container bin and find their individually numbered toothbrush holder. Once they find their specific toothbrush holder, students will then swap out their broken or dull pencil for a new one. On Fridays, students will be selected for a classroom clean up job which includes sharpening any dull or broken pencils in each of the toothbrush holders.
4. Classroom Library
-Students will get an opportunity during the first 5-10 minutes of the day to visit the kitchen library. Each student will have a wooden kitchen spoon with their number on the back of it. When students are browsing the classroom library, they will use their wooden stick to hold their place or mark where the book was found. Once a student has found a book they would like to checkout, they will sign it out in the library book and tell the teacher. The checkout list will be transferred into the app “Booksource” for the teacher’s records.
5. Turning in Work
-Students will have one basket in the room that they will turn any and all paperwork into. This includes homework, parent/doctor notes, seat work, etc. The basket will be in a central place that all students have easy access too.
Routines:
1. Coming into the classroom at the beginning of the day
-Students will line up single-file in the hallway and wait to enter the classroom until the teacher meets them at the door to greet them and welcome them into the classroom. Once students enter the classroom, they will go to their desk and unload their backpacks. After pulling out their necessary supplies, students will then hang their back packs up on their individually assigned hook. Along with placing their backpack away and making their lunch selection, the students will also place their take home folders in the folder bin and take a seat at their desk quietly, until the teacher is ready to start for the day.
2. Preparing for lunch time
-Students will be called one table group at a time to grab their lunchbox if they brought their lunch from home. After students grab their lunchbox, they will return to their desks to be seated until called to get in line. The teacher will then call students to line-up single file for lunch in a fun, creative, and interactive way every day (i.e. tell me a pronoun, math facts, tell me something you learned today, etc).
3. Heading on papers
-Anytime students receive a paper to write on, work on, or turn in, they will be required to write a heading on the top. The heading will include their name, the subject, the date, the teacher’s name, and their individual number.
4. Taking attendance
-Students will have time during the morning meeting to place a sticky note on a mental health check in. They will each take a sticky note and write their number on their back, along with an illustration of how they are feeling that day. This will help the teacher take attendance based on numbers, as will the left-over cards from the lunch count.
5. Classroom Clean-up
-Students will have a classroom clean-up ten-minute period every day before dismissal. Students will all be assigned jobs to accomplish during this time such as desk cleaners, pencil sharpeners, trash collectors, board cleaners, etc. This is something that the students will take part in daily during the school year.
I will introduce my routines and procedures to my students by explaining them clearly and repeating them daily until they become routine to the students. I will also model a correct procedure and an incorrect procedure. Then students will model in groups, and finally our class will practice them as a whole until they become second nature. It is important to teach, practice, and reinforce procedures and routines throughout the school year. Sometimes you must resort to visuals and re-teaching the routines and procedures to refresh students on what is expected.
Routines and procedures are important to have in a classroom for multiple reasons. Some of the reasons include easier transitions, maintaining calmness, and smoother schedules. However, a main reason classroom routines and procedures are crucial is the fact that they cut back on time being used to ask questions revolving around the main subjects of procedures and routines. Due to this time being saved, teachers can spend more time with students teaching them and letting them interact with hands-on activities. Students benefit by always knowing what to do in many day-to-day classroom situations and getting extra educational time.